Hello everyone,
It's been a while since I last updated you, and a lot has been happening with my pond. There was a major algae bloom that I managed to address. During the process of removing some algae, I pulled up my last Lily pad that had stated coming up from the bottom. The algae had taken over where the Lily was, and unfortunately, the two pads that were originally there when I planted it died, likely due to the stress of transportation. Initially, I thought the Lily was dead and gone, but to my surprise, within about two weeks or less, I now have five or six new pads emerging. And it looks like a bloom is coming up. This is very exciting news.
While I successfully eliminated a significant amount of algae, I've been dealing with ongoing algae growth in my stream, which has been choking my four-leaf clovers. Despite this, the clovers are thriving. Recently, I've noticed the presence of numerous tiny snails within the algae. I've decided to leave the algae be and let the snails flourish. I had wanted to add snails to my pond, but they tend to be quite pricey. The ones that came with a plant seem to be a great addition. I'm uncertain about their specific type, though.
I made an order for watercress and hyacinths - two of each - at a good price on Amazon. However, they arrived in poor condition. I placed them in my bog, which I've finally managed to fix. Some gravel still needs to be put back, resulting in a deep water area. I also tried placing two of the plants in the pond, but I discovered I need a ring to prevent them from getting into the skimmer. Unfortunately, both pond-placed plants have vanished; the watercress likely got eaten, and the hyacinth simply perished. The one in the bog is barely clinging on, and although the watercress looks unhealthy, it's still managing to maintain some green color and its roots are extending.
My fish eventually started eating shortly after I began feeding them. Interestingly, they seem to prefer the cheaper flakes from Tetra rather than the small pebbles I got from the pond digger, which were intended for koi and goldfish. There's one aspect puzzling me - my black shubunkin goldfish. It doesn't socialize with the others, taking its time to approach when I offer food. In contrast, I have four orange goldfish and one nearly white goldfish (almost orange), all the same size as Mr. Black Shubunkin. Additionally, there's a medium-sized marbled black, white, orange goldfish and a larger silver koi. The fish frequently chase each other around none of them seam to be bulling the others but sometimes they both go for the same food one getting to it first. During feeding, they sometimes become excitable, swimming to the surface eagerly, then darting back or swimming away from me toward the rear of the pond. It's a mystery why the black Shubunkin is acting so shy, as it appeared happy and playful when I first selected it at the store. I'd avoid buying a black fish in the future as they are harder to see.
On another note, I'm considering introducing something like a banded shark to help control the algae. I'm searching for a species that thrives in colder waters. I still need to get a lot more plants also but funds are low right now. Thank you for taking the time to read this update, and I eagerly await your insights.
